The present invention relates to a machine tool that can also be referred to as a rotary indexing machine tool. The machine tool comprises several work stations. A workpiece carrier holds, distributed around its circumference, several workpiece chuck units, each being able to hold one workpiece. The respectively affected workpiece can be machined from one or several sides in the work stations. The workpiece carrier with the workpiece chuck units is advanced in increments, so that the workpieces pass through several work stations until, finally, they have been completely machined.
Such a machine tool is known from publication DE 10 2007 016 270 B4, for example. There, the workpieces are machined from three sides in each work station. To accomplish this, the machine frame of each work station has machining units arranged above, below and next to the work area.
This machining of a workpiece from three sides or on three sides is frequently necessary in order to achieve a prespecified, fully finished shape of the workpiece. However, the machining units arranged below the work area create problems because many shavings may accumulate there during cutting operations and impair the proper function of the lower machining unit. This is the case, in particular, when the materials of machined workpieces produce long shavings or when no coolant is used during dry machining.
Therefore, the object of the present invention may be viewed as the provision of a machine tool, in particular a rotary indexing machine tool, that makes possible an improved shavings removal.